Many hollow-bodied stringed instruments have what is known as a sound-hole in the face of the instrument beneath the strings, allowing for sound to emanate out of the hollow-body (and, unfortunately, foreign objects to fall into the hollow-body).
Many times, it is desired to dampen sound from entering the hollow-body, especially when the sound is amplified, as the sound from the amplifier causes increased vibration of the instrument's body, and at certain amplification levels, feedback occurs as this vibration is picked up and sent to the amplifier.
There exist a class of devices that are designed to mount in the sound-hole, especially the sound-hole of acoustic guitars, blocking acoustic sound waves from entering/exiting the sound-hole. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 9,646,581 to Landis, a single-piece, mesh-type sound-hole cover is disclosed for the purpose of preventing foreign objects (e.g. picks) from entering the sound-hole. This device is held in place on the sound-hole by a plurality of adhesive fasteners. Many guitarists do not want to use any type of adhesive on their guitar as with time, heat, and humidity, even temporary fasteners often damage the surface of the instrument.
Likewise, there are many decorative, solid sound-hole covers on the market. These currently marketed sound-hole covers are typically solid plastic or wood parts that are sized for a particular set of instruments. The wooden sound-hole covers often come with an elaborate design that allows sound to enter/escape; only preventing objects from entering the sound-hole. Some sound-hole covers are printed with a manufacturer name or marketer name.
No existing sound-hole covers offer customization of the front facing surface with custom printing. Any printing that is done is at the factory in quantity; for example, production runs of 100s of sound-hole covers with a guitar manufacture name on the front facing surface. There is no way for a garage band to order two sound-hole covers with the name of the band, phone number, etc.
What is needed is a sound-hole cover that will provide decoration and dampen acoustic feedback.